David Dacko

David Dacko (24 March 1930 – 20 November 2003) was a Central African politician who served as the first President of the Central African Republic from 14 August 1960 to 1 January 1966 and as the third President of the Central African Republic from 21 September 1979 to 1 September 1981.

In 1937, his father converted to Catholicism, after which he decided to stay married to one wife and sent the others away, including his mother.

In 1938, he was sent to live with his uncle, Jêrome Gaza in Mbaïki.

He began primary school in Mbaiki, where his father worked as a plantation's night watchman.

He continued his primary education in Bambari before being admitted to the Ecole normale of Mouyoundzi in Moyen Congo.

Studying for a career in teaching, he became schoolmaster of a large primary school in the capital, Bangui in 1951.

Dacko took part in an experimental educational program promoted by the French colonial administration.

Dacko was named principal of Kouanga College in 1955 and became a supporter of independence leader Barthélémy Boganda, who was from the same Ngbaka ethnic group as Dacko.

In March 1957 Dacko presented himself as a candidate for legislative elections in Ubangi-Shari for the circumscription of Ombella-M'Poko and won a seat as a member of the "Territorial Assembly of Ubangi-Shari".

When the first Council of Government of Ubangi-Shari was established that same year, Boganda named Dacko Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Water and Forests, in which position he served from 14 May 1957 until 23 August 1958.

Dacko then served as Minister of the Interior and Administrative Affairs from 23 August to 8 December 1958.

When the Territorial Assembly became the Legislative Constitutive Assembly on 1 December 1958, Dacko and his fellow Territorial Councilors became Deputies.

Dacko remained in the government as the Minister of the Interior, Economy and Commerce (8 December 1958 – 30 April 1959).

He also served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 1 May 1959 to 14 August 1960.

After his second removal from power in a coup d'état led by General André Kolingba, he pursued an active career as an opposition politician and presidential candidate with many loyal supporters; Dacko was an important political figure in the country for over 50 years.

Dacko was born in the village of Bouchia, near Mbaïki in the Lobaye region (which was then a part of the French Equatorial African territory of Ubangi-Shari), to Joseph Iniabodé and Marie Okolania.

His parents belonged to the same ethnic group.

A M'Baka (Ngbaka), he was a distant cousin of future rival Jean-Bédel Bokassa.

Soon after Dacko's birth, his family moved to Boda, where his father worked in a store belonging to a European coffee planter in Bonini named Tancret.

On 29 March 1959, Boganda died in a plane crash.

Étienne Ngounio was decided upon as the new head of the party as well as Boganda's replacement as the mayor of Bangui.

His replacement as president, however, remained undetermined.

Abel Goumba put forward his candidacy, although various circles within the party had reservations about him.

Dacko states that he was convinced to accept candidacy by a group of Assembly members from MESAN, namely Gabriel Barrot, Thomas Lemotomo, Ibrahim Tello, Robert Sama, Bellet Herman and Alphonse Yokadouma.

At the plenary meeting of the Assembly, his name was put forward as a candidate by Tello, and he was elected president with 39 votes against Goumba's 11.

In October 1959, Goumba and Ngounio proposed that Dacko be replaced by Pierre Maléombho as president, but as it became obvious that the motion would not succeed, they ended up withdrawing it within a week, before it could be discussed at the Assembly.

After independence on 13 August 1960, Dacko became Provisional President of the Republic (14 August–12 December 1960), and then, with the active French support against rival Abel Goumba, became the first President of the Central African Republic (12 December 1960 – 31 December 1965).

In 1960, he also served as President of the Conference of Prime Ministers of Equatorial Africa.

Dacko began to consolidate his power soon after taking office in 1960.

He retained the portfolio of Minister of Defense (17 August 1960 – 1 January 1966) and Keeper of the Seals (17 August 1960 – 2 January 1963) and amended the Constitution to transform his regime into a one-party state with a strong presidency elected for a term of seven years.

On 5 January 1964, Dacko was elected in an election in which he ran alone.

During his first term as president, Dacko significantly increased diamond production in the Central African Republic by eliminating the monopoly on mining held by concessionary companies and decreeing that any Central African could dig for diamonds.

He also succeeded in having a diamond-cutting factory built in Bangui.

Diamonds eventually became the country's most important export and remain so today, even though at least half of the country's diamonds are smuggled out of the country.

Dacko encouraged the rapid "Centralafricanization" of the country's administration, which was accompanied by growing corruption and inefficiency, and he expanded the number of civil servants, which greatly increased the portion of the national budget needed to pay salaries.

The difficulty of securing enough revenues to pay a large number of bureaucrats who are often inefficient and corrupt has been a major problem for the country ever since.

Dacko was torn between his need to retain the support of France and his need to show that he was not subservient to France.

In order to cultivate alternative sources of support and display his independence in foreign policy, he cultivated closer relations with the People's Republic of China.

By 1965, Dacko had lost the support of most Central Africans and may have been planning to resign from the presidency when he was overthrown.

On the night of 31 December 1965 – 1 January 1966, General Bokassa carried out a successful coup d'état against Dacko and prevented the possible assumption of power by a rival, Colonel Jean Izamo, head of the national gendarme police force.